NFL Week 11 Takeaways: Bills Knock off Chiefs, Steelers Get Statement Win and More

As playoff races heated up in Week 11, this past weekend’s NFL slate was replete with matchups that had a major impact on how those races shake out.

The first game of the week was a battle in Philadelphia for first place in the NFC East between the upstart Washington Commanders and the Eagles.

The Commanders have been one of the biggest surprises in the league this year and could have taken over first place in the division with a win. However, Eagles running back Saquon Barkley had other ideas: 198 of them.

Along the way, another division matchup came down to a blocked field goal. A quarterback re-emerged as a dynamic starter. The Steelers sent a message. Bo Nix is now pushing for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. Meanwhile, Joe Burrow and his Cincinnati Bengals are licking their wounds during another disappointing campaign.

Bleacher Report NFL analysts Gary Davenport, Kristopher Knox, Maurice Moton and Brent Sobleski broke it all down, with the biggest takeaway from every game during Week 11 action.

Lions Are Ready for Everyone’s Best Shot

The Detroit Lions aren’t going to run away with the NFC’s No. 1 seed because teams like the Eagles and Minnesota Vikings are nipping at Detroit’s heels. One slip could potentially cost the Lions the conference’s lone first-round bye, but that slip didn’t come on Sunday.

To be fair, the Jacksonville Jaguars were never expected to present a big challenge. Bleacher Report’s NFL panel unanimously picked Detroit to cover a 13-point spread. This did, however, have the potential to be a trap game.

Last Sunday night, the Lions had to overcome a five-interception performance from Jared Goff and a 23-7 halftime deficit against the Houston Texans. They won on a last-second field goal from kicker Jake Bates, arguably the most emotional finish Detroit has seen all season. Head coach Dan Campbell preached maintaining focus after the win.

“We have to assume we will get the best version of what they are and what they’re capable of,” Campbell said, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “And so with that, we have to be on our game, and it really is about yourself and it’s about the details to what we do.”

How would the Lions respond? With a decisive victory. Against Jacksonville, Detroit showed that it is firmly focused on racking up wins and remaining in position for that top seed.

A week ago, the Texans nearly took advantage of some serious miscues. They didn’t, and it’s unlikely that any team will catch the Lions napping from here on out.

The Jaguars Are In Need of a Reset

Again, the Jaguars weren’t expected to even make things interesting against the Lions. They’ve struggled all season and were again playing with backup quarterback Mac Jones because of Trevor Lawrence’s AC joint injury.

Still, it was a sad showing for the Jags on the road. For most of the game, Jacksonville—which tallied just 170 offensive yards and a pair of field goals—had the look and feel of a team going through the motions, which is an indictment of head coach Doug Pederson.

It’s time for some sort of change in Jacksonville, and franchise owner Shad Khan seems to know it.

“The Jaguars, mired in a miserable rut after losing four of their last five games, might be looking at another regime change for 2025, and sources say a dramatic move could come as soon as this week, pending the results of Sunday’s game against the Lions,” NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport wrote on Saturday.

Pederson became the head coach in 2022, while general manager Trent Baalke took over full-time the previous season. They appeared to have Jacksonville trending in the right direction during Pederson’s first year on the job, which ended with a 9-8 record and a playoff victory.

The Jaguars also started last season 8-3 but have floundered since. They’re now in the midst of a lost season and playing like it.

Jacksonville gave Lawrence a $275 million contract in the offseason. If Pederson and Baalke can’t put a competitive team—or even a team willing to compete—around the quarterback, the Jags need to find someone else to run the show.

Cornerback Remains a Top Offseason Need for Vikings

For the first time in several weeks, the Minnesota Vikings got a relatively clean game from quarterback Sam Darnold. After committing six turnovers in his last two outings, his only giveaway came on a botched pitch to running back Aaron Jones.

While Minnesota still needs Darnold to clean a few things up before the stretch run, he’s not going to be the team’s starting quarterback in 2025. Barring a massive surprise, the Vikings will pivot to 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy.

Darnold was always expected to be a short-term bridge to McCarthy, who suffered a season-ending injury before Week 1.

Along with the quarterback change, Minnesota needs to prepare for a serious cornerback search. We’ve seen the Vikings secondary be a liability too often this season, and it was far from great against the struggling Tennessee Titans.

The Titans got next to nothing going on the ground, but they compiled 261 passing yards. Will Levis (17-of-31 for 295 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) often found easy yards against a pass defense that came in ranked 21st in yards allowed and 21st in passing touchdowns allowed.

Along with Darnold’s recent penchant for mistakes, Minnesota’s secondary looms as its biggest liability heading into the final playoff race. Cornerbacks Stephon Gilmore, Fabian Moreau, Shaquill Griffin and Byron Murphy are all set to be free agents in the spring.